Monday, October 26, 2009

Norah and I have been working on our nursing relationship! It's quite the journey and has had it's ups and downs. It's a special time for mom's to bond with their babes and I think it's a really awesome thing to invest yourself in! Maybe I'll post more about our journey at a later time. For now, there is a pretty funny breast pump one might want to invest in! Check out the website HERE. :) There are so many other cleaver products surrounding breast feeding. Here's one more - My Brest Friend

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

This pastweek I was able to take some much needed R&R in Qatar. It was extremely nice to: 1) not be in Iraq; 2) wear civilian clothes; 3) not wear a weapon; 4) have some beer (limited, of course, by the military); 5) go on some excursions; and 6) see some familiar faces--I met up with Mark & Martha, Kel's uncle and aunt. Although getting there involved some not-so-fun times on military aircraft, it was well worth the trip. Here are some highlights from my trip:

Downtown Doha in the background

Driving through Doha--very futuristic looking city (the architecture reminded me a bit of Hong Kong)

In the Souqs (specialized stores)

Not my flight, but an example of what it looks like inside a military aircraft. This one, actually, is the more comfortable plane.

Walking and talking with Mark in one of the malls in Doha. Qatar is a very wealthy country (lots of oil money), so the stores were way out of my price range!)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Well, who would have guessed that I would have a wonderful baby shower the day I went into labor?! What a whirlwind of events that whole weekend brought... my cousins being in town, Steve and Colleen getting married, my baby shower and then the baby! Here are a few pictures from the wonderful shower.

Leah and Katie hosted and planned the whole shower! It was a hit and I think everyone had a great time. I sure did! Thank you ladies so much for blessing me and making Norah feel like she had all she needed to make her debut :)

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Grandma Mae passed away last week after a long, well-lived life. She held on long enough to experience the miracles of Steve getting married and becoming a great-grandma (Norah "happened" to be born 5 weeks early, just in time for Grandma to see pictures and a video of her great-granddaughter). Her body had been failing the last year or two, but her mind was as sharp as ever. I could not have asked for a better Grandma. We had some really good times, whether it was at the cabin, at her house for Christmas, or having a coke with her after mowing her yard. She will be missed greatly by our family but we know she is in a much better place. We love you, Grandma.

This is the last picture taken with me and Grandma (sorry, Grandma....I meant Grandma and me--she was always correcting my grammar). It was taken right before I left for Iraq.

Last night during a late night feeding, Norah stopped and looked up and then puked! She hasn't really spit up much so I was surprised. I was lifting her up to the sitting position and she did it again and then one final time as she was "sitting up". So I burp her with spit up all over my hand and really all over her little body and diaper.

Next, I take off her diaper and am wiping her body off with a wash cloth and then something about her changes. She goes from whimpering to a content little lady. I stood up to bring the wash cloth back to the bathroom only to find out Norah pooed on my bed! Oh Norah girl... you silly girl. So, I laughed and cleaned her little poo stain and put a new diaper on my girl. I am so looking forward to more fun stories just like this!!! I LOVE NORAH!!!!!!